Flash synchronizer for cameras, including shutter trip safety switch



Aug. 29, 1950 N. s. HULSTEIN FLASH SYNCHRONIZER FOR CAMERAS, INCLUDING, SHUTTER TRIP SAFETY SWITCH Filed Dec. 1, 1945 INVENTOR. Neal 8. Hulstein Attorneys Patented Aug. 29, 1950 FLASH SYNCHRONIZER FOR CAMERAS, "IN- CLUDIN'G SHUTTER TRIP SAFETY SWITCH Neal S. Hulstein, Denver, 0010., assignor to Heiland Research Corporation, Denver, 0010., a corporation of Colorado Application December 1, 1945-, Serial No. 632,186

1. Claim. (01. 95--1 1.5-)

This invention relates to improvements inisynchronizers for camerasand' its purpose is toipro-- vide an improved device for automatically syn:-

chronizing the operation of a fiash'light'bulb withthe opening of the shutter of a camera.

Theprincipal object-of the invention is topmvide a camera with a synchronizing device adapt ed to be actuated by the mechanism by whichthe shutter of the camera is actuated for causing the energization of a .fiashlight bulb simul-- taneously with the arrival of the shutter at its fully open position. A further object is to. provide a, synchronizing device comprising switch-' tuated by normal shutter actuating parts of the camera for closing the circuit of a flashlight in synchronism with the opening of the shutter. Another object is to provide a camera with a flashlight circuit comprising two sets of contacts, one of which is adapted to be manually closed by the operation of the operating member whicheffects the opening of the shutter while the other set is closed thereafter, in proper timed relation to the arrival of the shutter at its fully open position, by the motion of a spring motor actuated part which is set in motion in response to the actuation of said manually operated member. Other objects relate tovarious features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a camera having the present invention applied thereto with parts thereof broken away; Fig. 2 shows a bottom plan view of the camera illustrated in Fig. 1 with the bottom plate of the camera removed andwith certain parts of the attachment of the present invention illustrated in horizontal section and showing a bottomplan view of others of'these'parts;

Fig. 3 shows a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view of certain parts of the camera and of the circuit of the flashlight bulb which is actuated by the synchronizing device of the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5, illustrating the contact device, forming a part of the present invention, which 2, is mounted in the lower part of the camera cas-- ing and which is illustrated in Fig- 2; and

Fig. 5 shows a top plan view of the contact device illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 which is capableof being detached from the camera and which is. actuated by moving parts of the camera mechanism for controlling "the circuit of the flashlight bulb.

The invention may be applied to or employed with various forms of cameras but has been illustrated in the drawings as bein applied to a particular type of camera, comprising a comparatively fiat oblong metallic casing lil' provided with a top plate H, a removable bottom plate l2, a shutter actuating and film winding shaft operated by a. hand wheel l3, another film. winding shaft operated by a hand wheel M, a' lens 8-5,. a shutter operating member IS in the form of areciprocatory rod movable in asleeve. H and a shaft M3 for controlling the speed of the shutter which is set in operation when the shutter operating member [6 is actuated and which is provided with an adjustable wheel IQ for regulating the speed of the shutter. In the operation- Ofthe camera,the shutter operating member I6 is: pushed downwardly, thus releasing the shutter which is actuated by a spring or the like so that it travels across the lens opening and exposes a section of the film. The speed of this travel is. controlled by a roller mounted on the shaft I8 which engages the face of the shutter. After-each exposure, the shutter must be restored by the turning of the hand wheel !3 and this operation moves a new section of the film into position opposite the lens. When the shutter operating member I6 is moved downwardly it compresses an elongated leaf spring 20 which is secured on the base of the camera by screws 2! and when this downward movement occurs, an arm 22 projecting laterally from the member I6 is moved outof engagement with a notch 23a formed in a disc 23 which is secured on the shaft l8, thus releasing the spring actuated shaft I 8 so that it is free to rotate during, the travel of the shutter. After being depressed the arm 22 remains in its lower position and upon release of the shut: ter operating member It after the exposure has been made, the member I5 is restored to its upper positionby the leaf spring 20.

At the'bottom of the camera the shaft l8 proiects through a base plate 24 which is spacedupwardly from the removable bottom plate [2 and this projecting end of the shaft carries a relatively fixed disc 25 having at one point around its periphery a projecting lug 25a which normally occupies the position shown in Fig. 2. When the operating member I6 is depressedand an exposure made, the shaft I8 makes slightly more than one revolution and is brought to rest at apoint where the projection 25a engages an arm of the U-shaped spring 26 which is secured to the base plate 24 by a screw 21. When the hand wheel I3 is operated to rewind the shutter and to wind the film, the disc 25 is again rtated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, thereby restoring the projection a to th position shown in Fig. 2. Other features of the camera which do not bear directly upon the present invention are not described.

The synchronizing attachment of the present invention comprises an auxiliary casing which is in the form of a substantially rectangular metal case open on its upper side and provided at one end with a projecting flange 30a which may be attached to the base plate 24, after removing the bottom plate |2, by removing one of the screws 2| and another screw 28 which are a 'part of the usual camera construction, and then replacing these screws with their shanks inserted through apertures in the flange 36a. The casing 30 is then held securely on the base plate 24 with its side walls extending upwardly into engagement with the base plate and at the end of the casing opposite the flange 30a there is provided an opening 3% adapted to receive the stem of the spring 20 which is held in place by the screws 2| and which occupies a position somewhat below the base plate 24 with its circular end portion 20a engaging the operating member |6.

This auxiliary casing 36 has mounted therein two metal contact plates 3| and 32 which are separated from each other by a sheet of insulating material 33. The bottom contact plate 3| is insulated from the bottom wall of the casing 30 by an insulating sheet 34 and a sheet of insulating material 35 is placed over the upper contact plate 32, being held in place by a metal plate 36 which is secured over a part of this assembly as shown in Fig. 5. All of these plates are insulated from the side walls of the casing by sheets of insulating material 38. One of the contact plates 3| carries a leaf spring 3|a which projects into the chamber of the casing 30 in a position to be engaged by the projection 25a of the disc 25 during the rotation of the shaft l8.

The upper contact plate 32 has a longitudinally extending flexibl arm 32a underlying the spring 20 and adapted to contact at it extremity with a projection 3|c formed on a corresponding arm 3 lb of the lower contact plate 3| when it is moved downwardly by the spring 20 at the time of actuation of the shutter operating member l6. There are thus provided two sets of contacts, one consisting of the contact plates 3| and 32 which are brought into engagement by th actuation of the shutter operating member l6, while the other set consists of the leaf spring 3 la and the disc 25 which are brought into engagement by the rotation of the shaft l8.

The electric circuit in which these two sets of contacts are adapted to operate is illustrated somewhat diagrammaticall in Fig, 3. The flashlight circuit is illustrated as comprising two electric conductors 40 having connected therein the flashlight battery 4| and the flashlight bulb 42. The conductors 40 may b in the form of flexible conductors provided at their extremities with a terminal socket adapted to be plugged into engagement with the terminal posts 44 and 45 which are mounted in the ide wall of the camera casing l0. One of these plugs 44 'is grounded on the metallic wall of the camera casing and is thereby connected to the shaft l8 and the disc 25. The other terminal post 45 is insulated from the camera casing by an insulating bushing 46 and a washer 41 and this terminal 4 post is connected by a conductor 48 with the upper contact plate 32 to which the conductor is soldered on the lateral projection 320 of this plate.

In the operation of this device the depression of the shutter operating member It sets the shutter in motion and'at the same time initiates the rotation of the shaft l8. As the shutter operating member l6 moves downwardly, the spring- 20,- acting through the intermediate insulating sheet 35, depresses the spring 32 and establishes contact between that spring and the projection 3|c of the lower contact plate 3| which carries the leaf spring 3 la. Then, as the rotation of the shaft I8 continues, the projection 25a, after completing one revolution, engages the projection on the leaf spring 3|a and thus completes the circuit and fires the flashlight bulb at the instant when the shutter reaches its fully open position. In this way, the two sets of contacts are caused to operate successively to actuate the flashlight bulb in synchronism with the arrival of the shutter at its open position. The projection 25a of the disc 25 also engages the contact spring 3 |a during the operation of resetting the shutter and rewinding the film, but the closing of those contacts does not complete the circuit of the flashlight bulb because the contact plates 3| and 32 are then separated, the shutter operating member 6 having been restored to its upper position by the action of the spring 20'. Thus, the flashlight bulb can be fired only when the shutter operating member is depressed and is not actuated during the operation of resetting the shutter.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments which come within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

The combination with a camera having a reciprocatory shutter operating member and a second member having rotary movement during movement of the shutter, of an electric circuit including a flashlight bulb, an auxiliary casing attached to the camera, a spring mounted in said casing and projecting therefrom to engage said operating member for returning said operating member to its normal position, a pair of contacts connected in said circuit and mounted in said casing, said contacts being adapted to be closed by said spring when said shutter operating member is operated, a rotary contact included in said circuit and mounted on said second member within said casing, and another contact connected in said circuit within said casing and adapted to be engaged by said rotary contact after a predetermined movement of said second member.

' NEAL S. HULSTEIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file or this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES British Journal of Photography, July 26, 1940, article by Jenkins on Methods, Money, and the Miniature, page 362. i 

